The new Philips DesignLine TV is a striking design, a seamless monolithic sheet of glass with transparent ombre finish designed to lean against the wall like the cool kids back in high school, giving the appearance of a giant floating picture...

We had been striving as a design team for a more holistic 'interior fit' solution that truly fit modern domestic spaces and finally concluded that to break the traditional TV archetype an interior plane was the answer.

The designers, along with the engineers in Bruges, had to find the correct glass finishing to best fit the design whilst still delivering a fantastic high end TV experience. The smooth gradation on the lower side of the glass gave us the 'floating' sensation we had been aiming for.

The clear-to-black gradient delivers a unique visual impression, alongside eliminating the presence of a stand or "neck" typically associated with HDTV display designs. Additionally, a 3-sided Ambilight backlighting system adds to the disappearing act by actively extending light and color outside the bounds of the DesignLine television according to whatever is being displayed on the screen.

Integrated wi-fi connectivity with iPhone and iPad devices via app and smart content features are included, alongside the ability to display 3D content on a choice of 46- and 55-inch displays.

With the likes of IKEA, Sony, B&O, and Samsung's all dabbling in experimental large HDTV display designs, it appears we're entering the next era of display design where we may see some unusual (if not funky) display shapes that move beyond the rectangular sheet on a stand style we're all acquainted with. It's yet to be seen whether the American public feels an affinity for anything so different compared to our European counterparts.